Short leg fitter



y 11, 1948- G. A. ROSS, JR 2,441,511

SHORT LEG FITTER Filed NOV. 18, 1944 IN VEN TOR. George H. Ross, J11

Patented May 11, 1948 I v 2,441,511' I fsnom' LEGFITTER v George A.-Ross, Jr.,?Lynn Mass. v .ApplicationNovelnber 18, 1944, SeriaLNo.

I-CIaim. (c1. sag-s) The object of my invention moreparticularly is to provi'de. a simple'scientifi c-rneans for'fitting an v the shoe to be madeis'then constructed to have enough depth-of heel andsole to compensate for this deficiency in the length of the short leg thus determined. flowever -tl'iis is a very unscientific method and is not conducive to the'best results either in efficiency ,ofmeasurement-for the purposes of foot hygiene or for the expeditious handling of scores of patients in a single day insome of the larger "hospitals or clinics.

By means of my invention the orthopedic.

.physician or the fitter of orthopedic shoes for a shortleg is put in possession ofia,,simpl,e;aml ,relativelylow cost scientificinstrument by which 'he can determine by accurate imeasurements the data essential to shoe construction for orthopedic purposes.

In the prior art various jexpedients'chave been employed to measure wedge angles and height of ladies high heel shoes; also for measuring the minimum height of heel with which a shoe should be equipped for the avoidance of muscle strain, etc., etc., but no device of the character of my invention has been provided which permits the necessary data to be ascertained in a few minutes with the scientific accuracy necessary to properly build an orthopedic shoe.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device for ascertaining data for orthopedic shoes which when utilized will enable the patient to apply the whole normal weight of the body on the foot as a whole and not just on the heel only, and to enable him to dorsi-fiex the foot to the fullest extent Without producing muscle-strain.

Still another object of my invention is to provide such adjustments that the pitch of the foot-rest of the device may be altered to permit equal weight of the body to be distributed on the ball of the foot and on the heel and to apply the data thus determined to the building of a shoe best fitted to the patients needs.

For a more detailed understanding of my invention reference may be had to the accompanying specification and drawings in which Fig. 1

is a side elevation of my short leg fitting device; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in 1'; Fig; 3 isianenlarged longitudinal sectional detail sh'owingtheheelrestfand adjusting means therefor takenalo'ng'lines .3-3 -of;F-ig.*2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the forepart slideandlocking, meanstherefortaken along 'lines '4 =,4 of Fig; 1 andFiglb-ijsa cross sectional detail of theldcking meansforthe forepart slide.

Referring more specifically to Fig. 1 I represents a platform having an inclined plane portion'l which may :be "an integral part of the 'platformor a separatepart attached thereto as by screws-"3. A heel-rest 4 -is-adjustably supported by a member- 5 and pivoted at one endto the heel-rest byapivot 6 extending through the ears I of othesupporting-member 5. A-portion 5' {of the -heel-rest "supporting member; is movable ion-the inclined surface'z and retainedt'hereon by means of a threaded clamp 8ihaving-a'nut 9 slidable in ithe guideway "I 0. A ,slot, I I in the platformjalso permits the part5 to slide therein-when itis desired "to 'lowerth-e levelof'the heel-rest i to the-surface level of platform I as represented bythedotted linel'portion of part 5'. A thumbnut 9' is available "for :loosening "and tightening part 5' of therheel restsupport-member. Ar adjusting block 'I2'flies substantially at therear en-d of the heel-restandbeneaththe latter. To the block'tt is secured a-pivotallygdepending stud M upon'whichis screweda knurled adjusting nut I5. This adjusting nut I5 operates in a recess l6 which confines it so that it operates to raise or lower the block I2 by means of the stud I4 in the recess I! thus raising or lowering member '4 by turning the knurled nut [5 in member 5. To the heel-rest 4 is pivotally attached by the hinge I6 on the pintle IT a forefoot rest I8, the latter also having a hinge on a pintle 20. The portion of the forefoot rest between hinges I6 and I9 forms an arch support 2|. The foot of the short leg to be measured is represented at 22 by the dotted lines. At the forward or toe end of the forefoot-rest I8 is a threaded nut 23 fixedly attached thereto and through which extends a threaded vertical post 24 having a flanged head 25 for turning the latter in the fixed nut 23. A slot 26 in the platform I permits slideable movement of the post 24 therein thus allowing the heel-rest 4 and the forefoot-rest I8 to be adjusted to correspond with the movement of the heel-rest support 5 and 5' on the inclined plane 2. Another threaded stud 21 slidable in the slot 26 at the toe end of the slot is provided with a winged clamping nut 28 for clamping against a block 29. The stud .21 is secured at its lower end to a slide 30.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

The patient rests his heel on heel-rest 4, and forefoot-rest I8 is adjusted by turning fianged head 25 of upright post 24 in the fixed nut 23 until the forefoot-rest is in comfortable rest position for the forefoot; stud 21 is now slid in the slide 26 to the end of the forefoot-rest l8 and the winged nut 28 clamped to hold the stud in this position and prevent the heel-rest and forefootrest connected thereto from moving forward. In case any adjustment of the heel-rest is desirable this may be obtained by unloosening clamp 9 on the adjustable heel-rest support -5 or turning the knurled adjusting nut l5 to raise or lower heelrest 4 about pivot 6 (in ears 1) as a radius. Loosening clamp 9 permits of moving block 5 up and down on the surface of inclined plane 2. Of course this would mean that post 24 would also have to be moved correspondingly in slide 26 and stud 21 in slide 30. Arch support 2| assumes a position of rest dependent upon the fixed position of the heel-rest and forefoot-rests With the human foot the elevation of the heel with respect to the toesthereof varies greatly. Therefore, the vertical distance of the lowermost point of the heel above the horizontal plane of the lowermost point in the ball of the foot is a measure ofthe proper arch construction of the shoe if the foot is to be maintained in its natural condition. The hinges l6 and I9 permit the arch support of the device to assume the proper position with respect-to the heel-rest and forefoot-rest.

The foot of the short leg having now been properly located on the heel-rest and forefootrest, together with the most desirable positioning of the arch-support it is an easy matter to make measurements of the height of the heel above the fioor level or'level of the surface of platform I corresponding thereto, and likewise, also the distance and contour of the forefoot above said level. From the data thus easily ascertainable a roper shoe may be constructed for the short legwith proper contour of heel and sole.

In order to present an attractive appearance and to more properly merge the surface lines of the heel-rest and the arch-support portion of the foot-rest, a leather or other suitable cushion 4 member 3| may be suitably attached to the device.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is onl illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means.

What I claim 'as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A device for fitting shoes to a short leg and the like comprising a heel rest, a platform for said device having a fiat and an inclined surface, means movable and securable in the inclined surface of. the platform for the fitting device said means comprising a heel-rest supporting member, pivotal means carried by said last named supporting member connected to the heel-rest, means comprising an adjusting nut also carried by the last named heel-rest supporting means for adjusting the angular relation of the heel-rest, forefoot-rest, means carried by the platform for the device for adjusting the position of the forefootrest and means carried by the platform for securing said forefoot-rest position with respect to the plane of the heel-rest whereby substantial archsupport between the heel and the ball of the foot is obtained.

GEORGE A. ROSS, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 290,652 Sturmer Dec. 18, 1883 2,009,875 Clausing July 30, 1935 2,013,458 Clausing Sept. 3, 1935 2,242,116 Donaway May 13, 1941 2,317,321 Whitman Apr. 20, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 399,391 Germany 1924 476,134 Germany 1928 

